Primary Matchup Could Be Heated

BREVARD AT LARGE

April 3, 1990|By Allen Rose of The Sentinel Staff

Cook-Schmitt matchup. One of the most interesting election-year tidbits to surface so far on the county level: Mark Cook, former aide to Brevard Commissioner Sue Schmitt, will challenge his old boss in the Republican primary.

Cook, a Cocoa resident, is expected to formally announce his candidacy in mid-April.

He resigned his job with Schmitt several months ago to accept an appointment from Gov. Martinez as a state housing commissioner for Brevard.

Critics of Schmitt, who is opposed to her support of the central county complex at Viera, its controversial lease-purchase financing, county golf course construction and other issues, say they'll be watching this one closely.

It could be a hot one if Cook takes off the gloves and gets into some of the behind-the-scenes stuff he observed as the commissioner's aide.

On the other hand, Schmitt is an excellent campaigner. One of the best around here. She knows how to raise money, how to use it and how to get out the vote. She'll be tough to beat despite her vulnerable position on the issues this year.

Just fooling around. Student staff at the Crimson, campus newspaper at Florida Institute of Technology, had some fun with an April Fool's Day issue.

First, they changed the name of the paper to the Grinsom. And dated it March 30, 2000. Then ran such things as:

''Foreign investors want F.I.T.'' An in-depth analysis of a report that Japanese investors plan to buy the school. Mentioning that President Lynn Weaver now heads the American University of the Caribbean, now rebuilding after being flattened during Hurricane Hugo.

''NASA receives call from Mars.'' Seems a Martian named Bugs called the space agency to demand that humans quit transmitting MTV via satellite because it is corrupting Martian youngsters. Ditto Geraldo. Exception: They'll allow the show on which he was hit with a couch on which Oprah Winfrey is ensconced.

And a display ad with a waist-up photo of a semi-nude female, discreetly covered with what looks like a black mourning band, with headline: ''F.I.T. Faculty Uncovered.'' Ad copy says: ''Come see a very surpirsing (sic) and revealing look at some of F.I.T.'s most attractive faculty and administration. An uncoverd (sic) expose into the inner world of F.I.T. An exciting and erotic class in higher photo education that your (sic) guarenteed (sic) to get a 4.0 in . . .''

Ah, the glories of campus press freedom at a tech school. Where even spelling don't mean nothing.